While in Hannover for IAA, our small delegation of North American truck journalists had the chance to sit down with various Daimler execs, including the affable Martin Daum, head of Daimler Trucks North America.

Martin didn’t have to meet with us…he really didn’t. He had just gotten off a Trans-Atlantic flight – from the west coast, for crying out loud – and yet he got himself over to the show for a half-hour coffee time session with us. I thought this in itself was commendable, even more so since DTNA’s market share, for the first time in ages, has gone in the wrong direction. It’s down about 2.9% year-to-date and Martin wasn’t too happy about it, though he rightly pointed out DTNA is coming off its strongest year in history and if it weren’t for 2013, nobody would dare complain about the 38% of the US Class 8 market DTNA still commands. Still, he’s bothered by the small step back.

Daimler is feeling the heat from Ford on the lighter side of the commercial vehicle spectrum and Navistar’s ongoing recovery is impacting its Class 8 share. Still, DTNA remains a beacon for Daimler Trucks globally, which is contending with a shrinking truck market – yet still growing share – in many other parts of the world. We’ll have a more detailed update from DTNA following the American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition to be held next week in San Diego, Calif. In the meantime, here’s a short overview, filed from Hannover.